Jiang Shi leaned drunkenly against the door, pounding on it heavily while calling out Xie Xu’s name.
He shouted Xie Xu’s full name, no less.
He kept knocking until his palm started to hurt. Just as he was about to give up, the sound of a lock clicking came from inside, and the door opened.
Caught off guard, Jiang Shi, who had been leaning entirely on the door, stumbled forward and fell into a damp, freshly showered embrace.
Xie Xu just stepped out of the shower in gray pajamas, water still dripping from his hair.
He looked down at the man now in his arms, frowned. “What’s wrong, you’re so anxious?”
The cool droplets from Xie Xu’s wet hair landed on Jiang Shi’s forehead, jolting him into partial sobriety.
Standing upright, Jiang Shi glanced down at his overly eye-catching pink bear slippers, side by side with Xie Xu’s understated gray ones. Suddenly, he became timid.
If he really got drunk and grabbed Xie Xu to do this or that, wouldn’t that be too beastly?
Especially when Xie Xu was clearly under the impression something urgent had happened…
Jiang Shi scrubbed his face awkwardly. “It’s nothing.”
His eyes darted around the room, avoiding Xie Xu’s gaze. After a long pause, he finally squeezed out, “I just wanted to say goodnight to the captain in person!”
“Goodnight, Captain. I’m leaving now!”
With that, Jiang Shi turned to flee, but as he took a step back, his heel hit the doorframe, causing him to yelp in pain and hop on one foot.
Seeing him about to crash into a nearby shelf, Jiang Shi quickly shifted his weight, only to lurch forward into Xie Xu’s arms again.
Xie Xu, as if anticipating this, caught him steadily.
Jiang Shi: “…”
Looking at the man practically burying his head into his own collar, Xie Xu dragged a chair over and said, “Sit for a while in my room?”
Judging by Jiang Shi’s drunken state, he couldn’t leave for a while.
Xie Xu even spun the chair around for him, and Jiang Shi, reacting faster than he could think, plopped down without hesitation.
It was his first time in Xie Xu’s room, he would gladly stay longer if he could.
Seeing Jiang Shi wasn’t about to run off or hurt himself, Xie Xu went to the bathroom to fetch a towel and hairdryer. After toweling his own hair semi-dry, he gestured at Jiang Shi. “Come blow your hair. There’s no outlet by the door.”
The moment Jiang Shi had entered, Xie Xu had noticed Jiang Shi’s hair was wet.
Jiang Shi blinked at Xie Xu standing by the bed. “I can’t stand up.”
He knew his own limits. At best, he could make it a few steps before losing balance.
“I didn’t ask you to stand.” Xie Xu bent down, lifting a corner of the blanket on the bed. “Sit here.”
Jiang Shi’s eyes lit up as he quickly went over and sat down.
Taking the hairdryer, he cranked the wind to maximum and started blasting it at his hair with no technique whatsoever.
Whether his hair was drying, he couldn’t tell, but he certainly felt even dizzier.
By the time Xie Xu came back after putting the towel away, he found Jiang Shi not only with his hair standing on end but also tangled up in the hairdryer cord, looking like a pretzel.
Jiang Shi frowned, glaring at the black cord wrapped around his arm. Hearing Xie Xu’s footsteps, he looked up earnestly and complained, “Your hairdryer is so hard to use.”
He had never encountered this situation before.
“Mn, I’ll replace it next time.” Xie Xu took the hairdryer from him, carefully untangling the cord before adjusting the temperature and wind speed. He patted Jiang Shi on the head. “Lower your head.”
Jiang Shi obediently complied. “Captain, I’ll blow your hair later too.”
It had to be a fair exchange. Otherwise, Xie Xu might not let him into his room next time.
Xie Xu hummed nonchalantly, slowly smoothing Jiang Shi’s wild hair back into place. His fingers combed through the damp strands, inevitably brushing against Jiang Shi’s ears and nape.
The sound of the hairdryer hummed in Jiang Shi’s ears as the gentle touch of Xie Xu’s fingers made Jiang Shi’s heart beat wildly.
No one had ever blow-dried his hair for him before. It felt unfamiliar, but he liked this rare intimacy.
Thankfully, the hairdryer’s noise masked the sound of his racing heartbeat. Jiang Shi closed his eyes, gripping the blanket beside him as he sat on the edge of the bed, dazed and flustered.
“Why did you come over all of a sudden?”
Xie Xu’s warm voice carried over the sound of the dryer, slipping into Jiang Shi’s ears.
This time, Jiang Shi told the truth. “I joined a group chat. They all said I was too much of a coward to knock on your door.”
“They also said that if I did knock, I’d be their Dad,” Jiang Shi added with a hint of glee, patting his pocket instinctively. “Now that they heard me, they all have to call me Dad.”
Xie Xu paused, turning off the hairdryer as he frowned. “They heard?”
“Yeah!” Jiang Shi, completely unaware of the gravity of the situation, said cheerfully, “The group called me earlier, and I answered. They’re all in my pocket right now.”
Xie Xu: “…”
He held out his hand. “Let me see your phone.”
Jiang Shi, obedient to Xie Xu in all things at the moment, immediately handed over his phone, even unlocking it for him.
The screen lit up, showing a group chat voice call that had lasted 24 minutes with 180 participants.
Not only that, but the group chat was live-blogging updates for members who couldn’t join the voice call.
Messages flashed across the screen:
[Oh shit! Little White Hair actually knocked on Xu’s door! I heard the banging sound!]
[Hahaha, I can’t stop laughing. He called Xu by his full name. Sounded so fierce, like he was picking a fight!]
[Every time T Bao tries to hide his identity, it’s paper-thin! He is so easy to deceive hahaha (Is this something I can say?)]
[Relax, he won’t check the group chat now.]
[Wait, I heard sounds of clothes rubbing. Are they hugging? Or kissing?]
[Liquid courage is real! No lies here.]
[Hurry up and pin Xu down, hehehe, I want to listen the scene live!]
[Little White Hair, go!]
[Why are they drying hair now?]
[Fuck, this little white hair brat just outed us out! Danger!]
[.]
[……]
Xie Xu stared at the phone in silence while Jiang Shi blinked up at him. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m their Dad now, so that makes you their—”
Before he could say “Mo–”1Mom, Xie Xu clapped a hand over Jiang Shi’s mouth, muffling him into silence.
He ended the group call before letting go.
Jiang Shi exhaled heavily after being released, only to notice the call had ended. “Why’d you hang up?”
Seeing Jiang Shi about to check the group chat, Xie Xu placed the phone on a high shelf out of reach. “Confiscated for now.”
He was afraid that Jiang Shi would go crazy after reading it.
Jiang Shi was not completely wasted, and his logic was still fairly sound, but his thinking speed was low. His fiery temper was well-known to his fans, and they used this to successfully stimulate him into knocking on Xie Xu’s door.
The hairdryer buzzed to life again as Xie Xu resumed drying Jiang Shi’s hair.
Watching the obediently lowered head in front of him, he couldn’t reconcile this quiet figure with the fans’ image of someone whose fans’ said wanted to strong-arm Xie Xu by relying on his own strength.
Just then, Xie Xu felt a hand sneak into his, fingers curling tentatively around his own.
Distracted by his thoughts, he hadn’t been using his left hand to help smooth Jiang Shi’s hair.
The dryer kept running, but Xie Xu’s movements stilled.
Jiang Shi looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. “Captain, can I hold your hand? Just for a little while.”
The innocent tone carried a hint of unintentional scumminess.
Xie Xu: “ . “
Jiang Shi automatically took Xie Xu’s silence as tacit approval and began kneading and rubbing his hand. He brushed his fingertips over the knuckles, stroked the wrist, and even bent down to inspect whether there were any moles on Xie Xu’s left hand.
Unfortunately, there weren’t any.
But the hand was stunning — like a finely crafted piece of art, at Jiang Shi’s mercy to toy with.
Warm and shallow breaths brushed against the back of Xie Xu’s hand. His fingers twitched slightly, accidentally grazing Jiang Shi’s palm.
Jiang Shi squeezed Xie Xu’s restless fingers and said, “Captain, stop scratching. It’s itchy.”
“Captain, have you ever measured how long your fingers are? They’re amazing.”
Xie Xu was momentarily puzzled about the connection between finger length and being amazing.
Jiang Shi didn’t expect an answer and continued talking to himself, “Your hands are so beautiful. They look fake.”
Xie Xu felt a touch of helplessness.
It seemed Jiang Shi was truly drunk.
Unlike the last time, when it was dark and hard to see, this time Jiang Shi could see clearly and touch more meticulously. His eyes were filled with genuine admiration and affection, as if he wanted to seize this opportunity to explore every inch of Xie Xu’s hands.
Xie Xu looked at him and casually asked, “I heard your fans say you’re a hand-con?”
Completely off guard, Jiang Shi didn’t even look up. “I am!”
Xie Xu hadn’t expected such an effortless confession. He paused. “Have you seen hands like mine before?”
“Of course not,” Jiang Shi said confidently. “Your hands are the most beautiful.”
Xie Xu didn’t hear the answer he was expecting and frowned slightly.
Jiang Shi looked up and, misinterpreting his expression, said, “You don’t believe me?”
“If you don’t believe me, I can write a thousand-word essay about how they feel.”
That was the most sincerity he could muster.
Xie Xu was amused. Jiang Shi’s drunk thought process was sometimes hard to follow.
He didn’t press further and tried to pull his hand back, but Jiang Shi refused to let go. Instead, he became even more energized, trying to sneak his hand up Xie Xu’s sleeve while muttering about wanting to see his entire hand.
Xie Xu put down the hair dryer and grabbed Jiang Shi, who was attempting to tug his sleeve loose. “You should go back to sleep.”
Jiang Shi struggled for a bit but realized he couldn’t break free.
The alcohol had sapped all his strength!
“Captain—” Jiang Shi looked at him pitifully. “Let go.”
Xie Xu remained unmoved. “Earlier, when you knocked on my door, you called me Xie Xu.”
It was the first time Jiang Shi had said his full name.
And quite fiercely too.
Jiang Shi froze for a moment, blinking. He weakly tugged on Xie Xu’s sleeve with his free fingers and mumbled, “I was wrong.”
Xie Xu didn’t let go and lowered his gaze to meet Jiang Shi’s. “Then what should you call me?”
Jiang Shi looked into Xie Xu’s deep, dark eyes. His ears turned red, and after a pause, he softly muttered, “Gege.”
The slightly hoarse tone of his voice, affected by the alcohol, lacked its usual brazenness, sounding soft and tender.
As soon as the words left his lips, Jiang Shi felt the hand gripping his wrist suddenly tighten, making it hurt a little.
But the next second, Xie Xu released him.
Jiang Shi’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly grabbed Xie Xu’s left hand again. This time, though, he didn’t dare reach into his sleeve.
He was only happy for a few minutes before Xie Xu excused himself, saying it was inconvenient to dry his hair with Jiang Shi holding his hand, and pulled away.
Xie Xu turned his back to Jiang Shi while drying his hair. When he turned around again, Jiang Shi was already sprawled crookedly on the bed, his eyes barely open, looking drowsy and worn out.
Xie Xu hesitated for a moment but said nothing. He returned to the bathroom to put away the hair dryer. When he came back, all he could see was a tuft of white hair poking out from under the blanket.
Jiang Shi had climbed into Xie Xu’s bed. When he saw Xie Xu return, he struggled to open his eyes but was immediately blinded by the overhead light and had to squint. Groggily, he asked, “Can I still hold your hand? I want to hold your right hand too.”
His right hand had a little mole on it!
Xie Xu looked at the person curled up under the blanket and replied, “No.”
Jiang Shi lowered his expectations. “Then can I at least hold it?”
“Gege.”
The last two syllables were spoken in a soft, pleading tone, almost like he was acting spoiled.
Xie Xu realized that, even when drunk, Jiang Shi had sharp instincts in some areas.
He walked over to the bedside. The shadow he cast perfectly covered Jiang Shi’s face. “When we went to the restroom earlier during dinner, you were holding my right hand.”
“But when we left the restroom, you let go.”
Without the glare of the overhead light, Jiang Shi finally managed to open his eyes, but his thoughts were still muddled. He let out a confused “Ah,” clearly not understanding what was happening.
Xie Xu looked at his bewildered expression and said calmly, “Was it because there were too many people, and holding hands would be too obvious?”
Jiang Shi stared blankly as he replayed the scene in his mind.
After a long silence, his face suddenly turned red. He quickly pulled the blanket over his head, his muffled voice filled with embarrassment. “No.”
He had wanted to hold hands back then!
Xie Xu stared at the tightly wrapped blanket, frowned, and gently tugged it away to prevent Jiang Shi from suffocating. “Don’t cover your head, you’ll suffocate.”
Once freed, Jiang Shi kept his eyes shut, avoiding Xie Xu’s gaze. He no longer pestered him about holding hands. His flushed face was a vivid shade of red. “I’m sleepy. Sleeping now!”
With that, he tried to pull the blanket back over his head.
But Xie Xu pressed the edge of the blanket down firmly, stopping him. “This is my bed.”
Jiang Shi slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the man standing beside the bed in his pajamas, and realized something. He shifted over bit by bit and lifted the blanket. “Then you sleep here. I’ve already warmed it up for you.”
Despite the invitation, Xie Xu didn’t move.
Jiang Shi’s eyes darted around. In a small voice, he said, “Come up, and I’ll tell you why I didn’t hold your hand back then.”
Mysteriously, he added, “If you wait until I’m sober, I definitely won’t tell you.”
Xie Xu: “…”
After giving Jiang Shi a deep look, Xie Xu lay down as he wished.
Jiang Shi smirked, cleared his throat, and said, “Turn off the light.”
“No.”
Before Jiang Shi could protest, Xie Xu cut him off again. “Or you can go back to your own room.”
Jiang Shi looked at him with a hint of grievance in his eyes. But he didn’t push his luck further, kicking the blanket in frustration. “Why are you so mean?”
Xie Xu sighed softly. “I wasn’t being mean to you.”
He just thought Jiang Shi was playing around.
He reached out and adjusted the collar of Jiang Shi’s pink bear-print pajama top, which had become disheveled during his restless squirming.
The wide neckline, combined with Jiang Shi’s careless movements, had shifted out of place, exposing part of his collarbone and shoulder.
The pale skin was glaringly white.
When Xie Xu adjusted the clothes, his cool fingertips accidentally brushed against Jiang Shi’s shoulder.
Having stood around for a while, Xie Xu’s hands were a bit cold.
Jiang Shi instinctively shrank back, but the tips of his ears turned red.
“Come closer, and I’ll tell you why I didn’t hold your hand back then.”
Xie Xu tilted his head slightly.
Under the bright light, Xie Xu’s face appeared even more striking. Jiang Shi rubbed his ear and whispered very softly, “When we were in the restroom, my hand touched—”
Midway through his sentence, he froze.
Looking at Xie Xu’s face, he suddenly found himself unable to continue.
Feeling the warmth of Jiang Shi’s breath and the faint scent of alcohol, Xie Xu patiently asked, “Touched what?”
Jiang Shi buried his face in the pillow, nervously rubbing his thumb and index finger under the blanket, and mumbled so quietly it was almost inaudible, “Touched my little bird while peeing.”
“So I couldn’t hold your hand.”
T/L:
Question: How dead will Jiang Shi feel the next morning when he remembers everything?
